Walton Alum Wins Miss Cobb County

1. Expect more of the same today, according to the National Weather Service: a high in the mid-90s, a heat index topping out around 100 and a 30 percent chance of more showers popping up through the day. The overnight low will be around 73, with a 20 percent chance of further rain.

2. The first day of school in Cobb County is a week away, which means this is the week for most orientation programs. is looking for volunteers to help with its orientation Wednesday and Thursday as it adjusts to handing out lockers and schedules during orientation and getting books to 11th- and 12th-graders. Contact Gail Wetzel at gwetzel@comcast.net if you can take a shift. is celebrating the approaching school year with Back to School Family Night from 5 to 8 p.m., including a chance to meet one of the Chick-fil-A cows.

3. If it’s truly the economy, stupid, you’ll want to keep your eyes on East Cobb Patch later today for the latest job openings while we all watch what happens with the increasing volatility on Wall Street. And check out about whether the neighborhood has taken a downward turn.

4. Candidates for the 43rd District legislative seat left vacant by the , who represented part of East Cobb, have to wait only one more week to sign up for the special election, set for Sept. 20. Candidate qualifying starts next Monday at 9 a.m. and ends at noon Wednesday, Aug. 17, Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced Friday. It costs $400 to enter the race. The election will be nonpartisan with no primary, but candidates’ party affiliations will be on the ballot.

5. Congratulations to Walton High alumna Stephanie Burkholder, 20, who won the title of Miss Cobb County 2012 at the annual pageant Saturday night, the Marietta Daily Journal reports. The reigning Miss Rome and a University of Mississippi junior, Burkholder beat out 17 other contestants to win a $10,000 scholarship and earn a place in the 2012 Miss Georgia Pageant. Her talent is contemporary jazz dance. The current Miss Georgia, , is also a Walton grad.